This invention relates to a flusher for containers such as ampoule, vial and bottle.
FIG. 9 of the attached drawings shows a typical container flusher of prior art. At an inlet end of a conveyor 61, a container 62 to be flushed is fed and placed, in a standing posture, on the conveyor 61 which conveys, in turn, the container into a water tank 63. In the course of such conveyance, the container is filled with water injected from above through a nozzle 64. Then the container 62 is transferred at an outlet end of the conveyor from the conveyor onto a carrying plate 65 to achieve a flushing effect. Upon completion of flushing, the container 62 is transferred by a lift conveyor 67 onto a conveyor 68 serving to convey the container 62 to a subsequent process.
However, the above-mentioned flusher of prior art has encountered various problems as will be described.
Ultrasonic waves are applied to a predetermined number of containers which are moving randomly while conveyed in a group. Therefore, not only a time for which the individual containers are applied with the ultrasonic waves is uneven but also an amount of the ultrasonic waves applied to a side wall or a bottom wall of individual container is uneven, resulting in uneven flushing.
The carrying plate 65 interposed between the container 62 and the ultrasonic vibrator 66 inevitably attenuates the ultrasonic waves and reduces a flushing efficiency.
Finally, the container 62 is applied with the ultrasonic waves from its bottom and consequently its lower portion is exposed to the ultrasonic waves more intense than the ultrasonic waves to which the upper portion of the container 62 is exposed. Thus glass exfoliation due to the ultrasonic wave often occurs in the lower portion of the container.